Sunday, February 19, 2006
Out of Gas
I ran out of gas in my car on the interstate yesterday. From my obviously erroneous calculations, I should have been able to go at least 25 miles or so more. After all, on previous tanks of gas I have been able to travel many more miles. I was chagrined, but serendipity smiled on me. The mishap occurred right at a highway exit, and the car coasted to a stop about halfway to the end of the exit. Even more fortuitous, a kindly cowboy in his blue Ford truck almost immediately offered assistance, and within fifteen minutes I was on my way with two gallons of gas sloshing in my tank.
It may seem a rather gauche analogy, but some days not only my car, but I, am out of gas. In my mind I think I should be able to work harder, longer, and accomplish more. After all, there have been other days when I have done so quite successfully. Sometimes on the lackluster energy days, I receive aid in the form of a Good Samaritan, a lucky break, or a deadline reprieve that saves me from failure. And on other days, I do not have that kind of luck, and must find it within myself to finish the job. Prayer, positive self-talk, rewards, and a frank assessment of the consequences if I do not succeed, are my rallying and motivating techniques. They work well for me, and I am usually able to attain my goals. At the end of those days I feel exhausted, but supremely satisfied. There is something pleasingly powerful about being able to work beyond what you felt were your limits. I acknowledge that in those circumstances I receive help: "godsends", if you will, a much more reliable source of power than luck.
On the road when I ran out of gas, the nearby exit and the benevolent stranger were lucky breaks. Capricious good fortune is probably the exception rather than the rule in the long run, so I am grateful for godsends, and for the ability to fuel myself during difficult circumstances.
It may seem a rather gauche analogy, but some days not only my car, but I, am out of gas. In my mind I think I should be able to work harder, longer, and accomplish more. After all, there have been other days when I have done so quite successfully. Sometimes on the lackluster energy days, I receive aid in the form of a Good Samaritan, a lucky break, or a deadline reprieve that saves me from failure. And on other days, I do not have that kind of luck, and must find it within myself to finish the job. Prayer, positive self-talk, rewards, and a frank assessment of the consequences if I do not succeed, are my rallying and motivating techniques. They work well for me, and I am usually able to attain my goals. At the end of those days I feel exhausted, but supremely satisfied. There is something pleasingly powerful about being able to work beyond what you felt were your limits. I acknowledge that in those circumstances I receive help: "godsends", if you will, a much more reliable source of power than luck.
On the road when I ran out of gas, the nearby exit and the benevolent stranger were lucky breaks. Capricious good fortune is probably the exception rather than the rule in the long run, so I am grateful for godsends, and for the ability to fuel myself during difficult circumstances.
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